Golden Hour
by ashlynnb14
Summary: This is the sequel to Night Sky and should not be read independently. Katerina and Carina welcome Happy home after he and several other club members return home from prison. How will the time apart affect the family and the club? With new challenges coming at the club, will there even be time to fix what was broken before it gets worse? M for language and content


**Welcome back! This is the continuation of Night Sky. If you haven't read that already, stop now!**

Havoc barked loudly as I loaded him into the jeep. He wanted to keep working and showing off in front of the potential police canines, but I was running late. It was going to take almost an hour to get home and I needed to be at the clubhouse in forty-five minutes. I had to make up some time somewhere. The giant dog paced back and forth in the back seat anxiously as I sped down the highway.

"Where is everybody?" I asked Kip as I pulled Carina out of her car seat. Havoc leapt out of the Jeep and ran across the the parking lot to the grassy area behind the boxing ring. "I'm ten minutes late and there's no one here."

"Well, you're actually twenty minutes early." Kip admitted with a smile. I rolled my eyes and tossed the door closed with a thud.

"Here, why don't you let your lying uncle hold you?" I handed Carina over to Kip and walked to the clubhouse ahead of them. Havoc caught up and slipped inside in front of me. When we got inside, Carina was gabbing away and pulling at Kip's hair. She loved her uncle Kip and he was fantastic with her. I probably would have lost my mind if I didn't have his help over the last year. He not only helped with Carina but also with me. Kip recognized the signs that I wasn't doing well on my own. When the stress and pressure became overwhelming, Kip moved in with Carina and I. He had been living with us for the past five months and I finally felt like myself again.

"Hey, your hair looks fantastic." Tara said walking in with Abel holding her hand and baby Thomas on her hip. Carina waved hello, one of her favorite new things to do. Tara waved back with a grin. Kip put Carina down and she started walking over to Havoc with outstretched hands. "I'm ready for this one to start walking. He's getting heavy."

"I thought I wanted that until she started getting into everything. Those two are partners in crime." I motioned to Havoc and Carina who were cuddling on the couch. She had recently started climbing up on chairs and couches which gave me mini-heart attacks every day. "He gained five pounds before I realized she was getting into the treat drawer and feeding him her snacks in the car."

The clubhouse started filling up, so I picked Carina up to keep her out from under everyone's feet. Everyone loved her but the alcohol was already flowing and I didn't want her getting knocked down or lost in the crowd. Gemma walked in and announced that the men were about five minutes out. I followed Kip outside, Carina in my arms and Havoc on my heel.

When I heard the motorcycles approaching, my heart started racing. Out of fourteen months, we only missed two visits but it wasn't the same as having him back home. In the visitation room I couldn't touch him or talk to him freely, it was just a tease. He swore we wouldn't have to go through it again and I really, really wanted to believe him. Only time would tell though. I saw the front fender and high, straight bars before my eyes found his face. Havoc started barking loudly and spinning in tight circles.

Time seemed to slow down as he walked from his motorcycle to me. He was back in his regular t-shirt, jeans and leather kutte. It was a welcome change from the prison uniform I had almost grown accustomed to. As he came closer, I started noticing subtle changes in his appearance. There were small, fine lines starting to show up outside of his dark eyes and the short hair that had started covering his head was lighter in color than I remembered.

"God, you're beautiful." Happy pulled me to him and kissed me deeply. His lips felt exactly the same as I remembered. My body immediately reacted to him. My cheeks warmed. My heart skipped a beat. It was finally real. He was finally home.

"Dada! Dada!" Carina hugged his neck tightly and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Happy took her in his arms and smiled brightly. I started crying and tried to turn away to dry my cheeks. Happy caught me and kissed the tears away, refusing to let me turn from him.

"Hap, we've got church, brother." Clay said, walking past us with Gemma under his arm. Happy shook his head and kissed my forehead.

"Give me five minutes, baby. Seven minutes from now, we're going home." Happy whispered. Happy scratched Havoc behind the ears as our ever faithful dog followed him into the clubhouse. Carina started to cry and reach out for them. I shushed her and bounced up and down a little to try and calm her down. She finally stopped crying and I checked my watch, it had been six minutes since he'd gone inside. When I looked up, he was walking out.

"You're late." I teased. He laughed and smacked me on the butt playfully. "Are you not riding home?"

"No. I can ride tomorrow. I'm spending time with you two." Havoc barked loudly, unhappy to be left out. Happy rolled his eyes and scratched him behind the ears. "Yeah, you to, mutt."

"Dada!" Carina fussed as I secured her in the car seat. She went on gabbing angrily and reaching for Happy.

"I'm really glad I can't understand what you're saying right now, princess. You would probably be grounded until you turned twenty." I said, kissing her forehead. Havoc jumped into the seat beside her and laid his head on her lap as he so often did. Happy got into the driver's seat and looked back at them. "I'm glad you're home, Happy. I've missed you so much."

"I missed you, baby." He leaned over and kissed me before backing out of the parking spot. He kept his hand on my thigh, holding on as if I was going to slip through his fingers. I smiled and put my hand on top of his. The sun hit my ring and threw prisms of light onto the ceiling of the jeep, causing Carina to giggle and reach up. All of my stress and anxiety started melting away as I took the moment in. My family was whole again.

Happy carried Carina inside ahead of Havoc and I. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and I could already tell getting her down for the night was going to be a challenge. Happy looked around as he walked further inside. I hadn't changed much inside the house, aside from painting the living room and kitchen walls a light gray color. Havoc trotted past Happy, got his rawhide chew and laid down in his bed. He was already readjusted to Happy being home.

"I'm sorry I don't have dinner ready." I told Happy as he put Carina down. She walked over to her blocks and started playing happily. He walked over and put his hands on my hips, pulling me close. "There's a lasagna in the freezer or I can make something."  
"Don't worry about it, Kat." He kissed my lips, my cheek and my neck before pulling back to look at me. "Why do you seem nervous?"

"I'm not." I stepped back and smiled up at him before moving to the freezer to find something for dinner. I heard him sigh. "Do you want a beer?"

"No." He pushed the freezer door closed. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy I was home."

"I am. I still have to make sure we don't starve." He started shaking his head before I was even done speaking. "Happy, relax. Play with your daughter or chill on the couch. I'll make something quick, okay?"

"Alright." He didn't seem convinced but picked Carina up and left the kitchen all the same. I took a deep breath. Twenty minutes later, we were sat down at the table for dinner. Happy ate quickly while I split my time between taking bites of food and feeding Carina. Havoc was right under the high chair, waiting for something to fall down. Happy snapped his fingers at him. "Go eat your food."

Havoc ignored him and moved to the other side of the high chair. I sighed when Carina threw a green bean down to him. Havoc gobbled it up quickly and moved closer. Happy stood up and grabbed him by the collar. Havoc jerked back and laid his ears down. Happy ignored it and led him to the back door. Carina started whining as soon as Havoc went outside.

"Baby, it was a green bean." I picked Carina up out of the high chair and sat her down so she could go look outside. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning. He needs to listen like he used to." Happy said, scraping his remaining food into the garbage. He got to my plate and looked up at me. "Are you not hungry?"

"I had a big lunch." I explained before picking Carina up and letting Havoc back inside. "He does listen, to me. You'll just have to work with him some."

Happy didn't respond, so I took Carina to the bathroom and started the water for her bath. She smacked the water enthusiastically, splashing water all over me. It was par for the course when it came to bath time. After the bath, I wrapped her in a towel and carried her to her room. Happy was sitting in the rocking chair with a half empty bottle of beer. I offered him a smile as I got Carina ready for bed.

"Do you need to rock her?" Happy asked, starting to stand up. I shook my head and stretched my hand out to him. He blinked and took it, standing up. Carina reached out for him and I nodded.

"You just have to hold her and rub her back. I usually tell her a story but you can just talk to her and she'll be out in a couple minutes." He nodded and carefully put his on the middle of her back. I smiled. "She's not going to break, Hap. Just lay her down when she starts falling asleep. I'll be in our bedroom."

I slipped out of the room as Happy started humming what sounded like a Guns and Roses song. There was little doubt that he could get her to go to sleep quickly. I took advantage of the alone time to change into lacy lingerie that I had saved for his homecoming. After putting a robe on over my lingerie, I brushed my teeth and checked my mascara for any running my crying had caused. Happy was right. I was nervous, despite how little sense that made to me.

"She's asleep." Happy stopped in his tracks and looked me over. "Damn."

"I thought you might like a welcome home present." I said, taking his hand and pulling him further into the room. He closed the door, then scooped me up in his arms and walked me over to the bed. I felt my heart start racing as he kissed my neck roughly. His right hand slid underneath the robe and up to my hip. "Take your clothes off."

"So bossy." Happy growled. I smirked and moved to untie the robe. He didn't argue any further. I got on my knees and let the robe fall off of my shoulders as he watched. I noticed his eyes move from my chest to my stomach. "Fuck."

"That's the idea." I laughed. He finished undressing quickly and pushed me onto my back as he got back onto the bed. Every touch, every kiss, every noise pushed me further and further towards the edge. He tried to take his time but I knew he was struggling to hold himself back. To give us both the release we needed so desperately, I moved his hand from my breast to my throat. He looked me in the eyes and I nodded, begging him to give me what I wanted.

"Turn around." He growled. I did as he said and turned my back to him. He got off the bed and stood at the side, pulling me to the edge of the mattress. I moaned as my body stretched to accommodate his again. He kissed my shoulder before wrapping his hand around my throat. I nodded and he tightened his hand, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to orgasm.

"Please." I moaned, begging him to go further. He thrust harder and tightened his grip. It was just enough to make it a little harder to breathe. I moaned, finding my release seconds later. He squeezed a little tighter and my hands reflexively moved to his arm. He moaned, releasing his hold on my throat. I took a deep breath and fell forward onto the bed.

"I fucking missed that." Happy's voice was velvety like it always was after a good fuck. I rolled over and propped myself up on my elbows.

"Me to." I smiled. We cleaned ourselves up and got back into bed. The sex high still had me smiling as he rolled over onto his side and looked at me. After a minute, I glanced over at him. "What?"

"You don't look like you had a baby last year." I couldn't get a good read on his tone. It didn't exactly sound complimentary.

"I didn't realize you wanted me to stay fat." I suddenly felt insecure and over exposed. Happy frowned and shook his head. "I was smaller than this when we met."

"Kat, I'm not complaining. I know you worked hard." He sighed when I slid out of the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Putting a shirt on." I muttered. He flopped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "What? You don't seem thrilled that my stomach is flat now."

"I never said that shit, Kat." He rolled his eyes when I pulled the shirt over my head. "What do you want me to say? I went inside and you were still soft and had pregnancy boobs. I wasn't expecting you to have have harder abs than I do."

"I don't." I spat, getting back into bed and pulling the covers up under my chin. "I'm sorry you don't like my body anymore."

"Katerina, I never said that." He snapped. I didn't say anything. He jerked the covers out of my hands and threw them onto the floor. "Stop being insecure. It's annoying."

"Sorry, I'll work on it in between eating cookies and cake to fatten up for you, sir." I couldn't resist smirking at my ridiculous rebuttal. He shook his head and got on top of me, pressing his hardened member onto my stomach.

"Keep calling me sir and you're not going to walk right tomorrow, smart ass." He bit my earlobe.

"Don't make promises you aren't going to keep," I looked him in the eye and smirked, "sir."

"What's up with you today?" Taylor asked, tossing a ball for Havoc. I shook my head and climbed onto the picnic table. Taylor was three weeks out from finishing K9 handler school. He and his dog Paco were close to meeting my standards, which lucky for them were harsher than the standards for Oakland PD. "Don't give me that crap. Last week you were excited for your husband to come home and now you seem pissed at the world. I didn't even think you'd come to work today."

"It's easier being here than at home right now." I didn't want to discuss my relationship with anyone, especially not Taylor. He spun the tennis ball around in his hand a couple times before looking over at me again.

"Did he hurt you?" His question was barely audible. I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Kat. You can tell me."

"He's never hurt me." I stood up and brushed my hands off on my thighs. "Look, go get Paco and we can go running. I don't want to talk about my relationship."

"Alright, coach." I scoffed, hating the title he'd given me. He returned with his german shepherd a couple minutes later and we headed for the road. During the nine weeks Taylor and Paco had been training with me, we had developed a routine of training, resting, running and training. Havoc and Paco got along and it was a great way to get some of their energy out. It also gave Taylor and I time to get to know each other.

"Hold up." Taylor panted, catching up to Havoc and I at the dead end we normally turned back at. He was out of breath. I looked down at my watch and realized I had run the last three miles much faster than normal. He interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on the top of his head. "I didn't realize we were going to be sprinting."

"Sorry. I guess I was just releasing some stress." I checked my watch again, waiting for my heart-rate to slow down.

"Look, I've heard that it can take some time to readjust after someone gets out of prison. That doesn't just mean for your husband to readjust to freedom. You were a single mom for over a year." Taylor pushed his hand through his hair and stood up straight. I remembered him telling me about his father's history of being in and out of prison when Taylor was a young boy. "Don't lose the strength it took to do that."

"Remember how I said I didn't want to talk about my relationship?" I muttered. Taylor nodded with a laugh. "I hear you, okay?"

"Alright. How about I set the pace going back?" He suggested. I nodded and we set off. As we jogged, I thought about what he'd said. Having my family whole again was the one thing I had wanted above all else for months. Now that I had it, it felt unnatural and forced. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just going to take some time to readjust.

When I got home, Happy was on the couch with Carina sound asleep in his arms. I smiled and closed the door softly. He looked up and gave me a small smile. Havoc headed straight to his bed for a nap and I walked down the hall to take a shower.

"I thought you got off at five." Happy said. He sat down on the foot of the bed as I stepped into a pair of panties. I paused before answering.

"Fridays run until six." My initial answer would have included a remark about him not trusting me. He nodded and caught my hand, pulling me to him. "Happy, we've got to get ready for Gemma's dinner."

"Yeah, we got time." He put a hand on each hip and looked up at me. "Thank you for being here when I got home."

"I told you I would be, Happy. We owe it to Carina to try and fix things. It's going to take time for us to readjust though." I ran my hands over his freshly shaved head and then let them rest on his shoulders.

"Kat, it was just over a year. I haven't forgotten how to be on the outside." He squeezed my hips.

"I wasn't just talking about you, Happy." I was frustrated that he didn't even seem to realize how hard it was to work full-time and raise our daughter alone. "You may have been the one who left but Carina and I couldn't just hit pause on everything until you got back."

"I know." He dropped his hands from my hips and stood up. "Get ready. I'll meet you at Gemma's."

He left the room and I heard his motorcycle start up a couple minutes later. I scoffed, tossing my wet towel on the floor. It wasn't the fact that he was riding that bothered me. I was upset that he left in the middle of a conversation. Carina started fussing, no doubt awakened by Happy leaving. Left to take care of her alone, again, I got dressed quickly.

**Thanks for your continued support for my writing and this story! I'm still very early in the writing process for this sequel, so updates may not be as fast as usual. I am also working on another, unrelated story that is a little different than I'm used to writing (more on that to come later). Anyways, please drop me a DM or review to let me know how you like this first chapter.**


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